In Rome I called upon the Reverend
Mitchell Dahood, dean of the Pontifical Bib
lical Institute's Oriental Faculty and a re
nowned authority on the languages of the
ancient Middle East. He explained the ex
plosive effects of Ebla upon Biblical studies.
"Consider this one aspect alone," he said.
"In early passages of the Old Testament,
God is referred to as El. Then Exodus 3:14
records that He revealed His true name,
Yahweh-which has come into English as
Jehovah-to Moses. But the Ebla tablets
show that a thousand years before that
and this has produced much excitement,
and even consternation, among scholars
both II and Ya, forms equivalent to El and
Yahweh, existed in Northwest Semitic per
sonal names. For example, in Ebla we find a
man named Mi-ka-il (Who is like God?)
Ebla: Splendor of an Unknown Empire
High seat of power, the citadel of Aleppo
(upper left) endures atop a tell, or mound,
similar to that which entombed Ebla, 60
kilometers (35 miles) distant. Aleppo's
walled city center has yielded some archeo
logical discoveries, but is used primarily as
a historical museum.
Aleppo began to dominate its neighbor
about the 18th century B.C. as it preempted
Ebla's role as the area's major trading cen
ter. Today the tell is surrounded by mod
ern Aleppo, a vibrant metropolis of more
than a million people.
At the Tell Mardikh site (above) Dr.
Stefania Mazzoni, assistant to the chief
excavator, directs the work in a room of
Ebla's royal palace.
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